The ATP Finals will begin in London next week. The end of season tournament has fans excited for some high-quality tennis to end the season. While there will be a few debutants at this year’s competition, three familiar players will feature at the tournament. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic will again play in the finals. The three have been the most dominant players of this era. With the tournament fast approaching, fans are excited to see how the three perennial challengers will fare in the finals. The following is a detailed analysis of the major headlines leading up to the tournament.
Here an interesting study and Infographic by Betway Tennis.
Federer
The Swiss player has played in 14 ATP Finals in his career. The 20-time Grand Slam champion has won the tournament six times representing a 42.9% success rate. He has fared well against Nadal in the competition, holding a 4-1 advantage over the Spaniard. Federer traditionally plays well at indoor tournaments where the game is more suited to his style. The low bounce of the ball and the non-windy conditions are ideal for the former world number. However, as he gets older, fans have wondered if he can sustain his finals appearances in the future. The 38-year-old pulled out of the Paris Masters after he won the Swiss Indoors in Basel. He said that he wanted to be fit for the London tournament. Federer also pulled out of the ATP Finals in 2014 so that he could play in the Davis Cup. Switzerland won the title that year but will not feature in this year’s edition in Madrid.
Nadal
With the season close to its conclusion, Nadal is once again struggling with an injury. The 33-year-old has found it difficult ending the year healthy. He suffered an abdominal injury in Paris last week. The world number one pulled out of the tournament before he could play his semifinal match against Denis Shapovalov. He is now in a race against time to be fit for the finals next week. Rafa has never won an ATP Finals title. He also has a losing head-to-head record against both Federer and Nadal at the tournament. The Spaniard has struggled during Indoor tournaments throughout his career. In 2013, he had a different opinion on Federer regarding the surface on which the competition should take place.
Djokovic
Djokovic will be a hot favorite to win his sixth title. The 32-year-old holds winning records against Federer and Nadal and has won the competition five times in eleven attempts. He has the best winning percentage at 45.5%. He will have the opportunity to end the year as world number one for the sixth time in his career. The other players at the tournament will try to stop Roger and Djokovic’s dominance at the event. They shared the title from 2003 to 2015 before Andy Murray broke their streak by claiming the title in 2016. The two have not won the title in the last three years.
Battle for world No.1
Nadal and Djokovic will be playing for the number one position in London. The Spaniard is currently at the position after the Paris Masters. However, the Serbian trails Nadal by 640 points after his fifth title in Bercy. With a maximum of 1500 points on offer, the current world number two could move back to the top position if he out duels Nadal in London. He will have to overcome Federer in the group stage of the tournament.
Rafael Nadal’s ranking and performance in 2019
Currently ranked no.1, Rafael played his last match on the 2nd of November when he had to bow to Denis Shapovalov w/o in the semifinal in Paris.
This year Nadal has a 50-6 win-loss record. Nadal conquered 4 titles in 2019 in Rome, at the French Open, in Montreal and at the U.S. Open. Rafael was the finalist at the Australian Open.
Novak Djokovic’s ranking and performance in 2019
Ranked no.2, the Serbian played his last match on the 3rd of November when he overcame Denis Shapovalov 6-3 6-4 in the final in Paris to win his 77th career title.
This year the Serbian has a 53-9 win-loss record. Djokovic clinched 5 titles in 2019 at the Australian Open, in Madrid, in Wimbledon, in Tokyo, and in Paris. Novak was the finalist in Rome.
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic played each other 54 times. The head to head is 28-26 for Djokovic.
The last time that they fought against each other, Rafael Nadal won 6-0 4-6 6-1 in the final in Rome on the 19th May 2019.
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic |
| Embed from Getty Images |
